CHECA9AI1NSXBZLYRY EHBARGOED. JJUiTIILEL1YEB
SPEECH FOR THE PRIME MINISTER
LAUNCH OF THE NATIONAL LANGUAGES INSTITUTE OF AUSTRALIA
NATIONAL GALLERY OF AUSTRALIA
MELBOURNE 21 NOVEMBER 1990
The worlds of economic, social, cultural and artistic
knowledge are concealed by a door. The key to that door is
language. It is very apt that the National Gallery of Victoria, a
major storehouse and show-case for our heritage and for our
cultural achievements, should be the location for the launch
of the National Languages Institute of Australia.
And it is gratifying to see the Government's commitment to
language training complemented by the presence of such a
large and diverse group of people today.
At the outset let me congratulate Joseph Lo Bianco on his
appointment as Director of the Institute. As the author of
the National Policy on Languages, which the Government has
been implementing since 1987, Joe brings to the job a
dedication and wealth of experience recognised nationally
and, increasingly, internationally.
The National Policy on Languages provides a sound and
far-sighted framework for the Institute's work.
Its four basic goals are:
the ability of all Australians to speak and write
English support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
languages the acquisition by all Australians of a language other
than English, and
equitable and widespread language services.
One of Australia's great resources is the fact that thanks
to the accident of history that saw Captain Cook arrive on
the east coast of our continent a few days ahead of La
Perouse we are part of the English-speaking world.
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I don't seek to enter into any argument about the relative
merits of Shakespeare and Milton over Racine and Voltaire.
That would be interesting, but beside the point.
Less controversial and more relevant is the consequence of
Captain Cook's speedier arrival.
For much of our subsequent history our British heritage,
including having English as our first language, underpinned
the access of Australian producers to the vast markets of
the former British Empire.
Today, English is still the key to our trading links with
the United Kingdom, the United States, and the wider
English-apeaking world. More than 30 per cent of our
exports go to countries where English is the principal
trading language; and such countries provide more than
per cent of our imports.
Even beyond the English-speaking world, English remains the
most international of languages. It is truly one of the
great glabal trading languages.
However the more recent internationalisation of trade and
industry has left Australia with a major challenge: the need
to improve the way we interact with markets where languages
other than English are spoken.
In our international business dealings we have too often
been unprepared to venture into the unfamiliar territory of
foreign languages and cultures. We haven't devoted the
effort we perhaps should have to the mind-expanding and
business-expanding education offered by new language skills.
With the; inevitable emergence into the global economy of the
countries that once formed a bloc of centrally planned
nations the Soviet Union, China and Eastern Europe
Australians will need to ensure we can compete in these new
markets on their linguistic terms.
And new language skills are particularly important as we
seek to enmesh ourselves in the dynamism of the Asia-Pacific
region. We earn an increasingly large part of our export dollar from
countries that do not speak English as their first language
including, of course Japan, our major trading partner.
IncreasiLngly, Australians are rising to the challenge. I
was particularly pleased on my recent visit to Japan to tell
my Japanese audiences this striking fact: Australia has more
students per capita learning the Japanese language in
primary, secondary and tertiary education then any other
country outside Japan.
Do not assume from any of this, however, that my Government
sees any value in the false distinction between ' trading
languages' and ' community languages'. 3 419
4 3 3.
When I launched the National Agenda for a Multicultural
Australia in July 1989, 1 gave a commitment on the part of
my Government to the languages and cultures of all
Australians. By building on the linguistic and cultural heritages of all
communities within Australia, we can help to unlock barriers
to equal participation and provide access to the diverse
abilities and skills of our entire population.
Language can help us not only overcome barriers to trade; it
can also help us improve our cultural understanding.
Let us never forget this basic fact. Thanks to our
Immigration policies policies that have brought to our
shores people from more than 130 nations and thanks too to
our deliberate adoption of policies that foster pride in our
multicultural diversity, Australia is uniquely endowed with
the riches of many languages.
We are a vast storehouse of knowledge, due to the diversity
of languages spoken in the community and to our experience
in the teaching of languages of national, international and
social significance.
And we have built on that resource. We have led the world
in the teaching of English as a second language and we have
been far-sighted in recognising the advantages of a truly
national language policy for social, economic and national
purposes. My Friends
Many countries in the world have an institute created by
government to research and develop language issues.
Some are ancient academies devoted to the cultivation or
purification of the national language. Others are charged
with the responsibility for developing a national language
to replace a language inherited from the nation's former
status as a colony.
Still others are for conducting research, for teaching, or
for public education on an aspect of language which is
important in particular contexts.
Such bodies reflect the priorities and the circumstances of
their society. In Australia we now have our own National
Languages Institute of Australia and it, naturally, reflects
the issues of importance to our country.
Australia has already achieved much in the field of language
training. Too often, however, this effort has been
uncoordinated. The Institute will have an invaluable role
to play in he. lping to provide the focus needed in our
national training effort.
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The InstiLtute, which started work in June this year, has the
aim of conducting the research and teaching necessary to
develop t: he whole spectrum of language education in
Australia. Its mandate is Australia-wide and so too is its structure.
First, it has already commenced an inquiry into the Teaching
of Modern Languages in Higher Education and set up a study
on Estimates of Language Teacher Employment and Supply.
The findiLngs of these two projects will shape the agenda of
work for the Institute for several years to come, and will
also hellp determine the number of teachers we train in the
appropriate languages and with the appropriate skills.
Second, the Institute will run Language Testing Centres, a
national data base and clearing house on languages, and four
Research and Development Centres. These Centres will
provide world class expertise in examining the areas of
Language Acquisition Research; Language and Society;
Language and Technology; and Workplace Communication.
Finally, Teaching and Curriculum Centres will investigate
the appropriate use of technology in language study and will
enhance -the professional development of teachers, provide
informatton and advisory services, administer overseas
scholarships, and conduct teaching programs.
There are also plans to establish an Aboriginal and Torres
Strait I: 3lander Centre.
Aboriginal languages are a priceless heritage which we are
in danger of losing. When Captain Cook sailed into Botany
Bay, approximately 250 languages were spoken by the original
inhabitants of this country. It is estimated now that only
fifty may still be spoken by children into the next century.
So the Institute will contribute substantially to the growth
of Austraslia as a truly multilingual nation, capable of
playing -B more constructive and more closely enmeshed role
in our region and the world.
I congratulate and commend Mr La Bianco, his academic
colleagues and all those concerned in the establishment of
the Institute. I have much pleasure in formally opening the
National Languages Institute of Australia and I wish it well
in its endeavours. 14 2 1